Consider Alternatives To A Local Deer Kill

To the Editor:

I was surprised and dismayed to read your front-page article on deer control giving only one viewpoint. Such a sensitive topic as killing deer is sure to create a great deal of discussion in the community and just a quick Google search reveals that there are many more options to deal with the problems created by increasing numbers of deer that simply killing some of them as advocated by Dr Scholl and the Fairfield County Municipal Deer Management Alliance.

Humans do not have a good track record with “managing” numbers of wild animal species. We have hunted wolves and large cats, natural predators of deer, to the point that the deer have fewer natural predators, and there is evidence that sport hunting, with the number of deer kept high to provide for hits for hunters, have actually served to increase rather than decrease deer herd size.

Dr Scholl is quoted in your article as saying: “The state Department of Environmental Protection has until very recently been trying to increase the deer population for sport hunters — Now the numbers are out of control.” Dr Scholl dismisses fertility control for deer as a possibility, but there are quite a few articles from reputable centers citing research and fieldwork on the subject. I would advocate that we look at this more closely and not dismiss it without careful thought. 

I have had close family members afflicted with Lyme disease, I have hit a deer on Route 25 in broad daylight, and some of my shrubs and bushes have been nibbled almost to nothing by deer. Like almost everyone else, I want to find a solution to our dilemma. But I draw the line a killing in cold blood because we were too lazy to look for other ways to deal with the problem. I believe that we need an aggressive communitywide study with a cold, hard look at the problem and our own role in it.

I worry about what I am going to tell my grandchildren if we start shooting deer in Newtown.

Marjorie Cramer, MD

38 Huntingtown Road, Newtown                              August 29, 2005